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T M Wallis

Publications and source records attributed to T M Wallis.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Realization of a particle-in-a-box: electron in an atomic Pd chain.

Well-defined Pd chains were assembled from single atoms on a NiAl(110) surface with the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. The electronic properties of the chains were determined by spatially resolved conductance measurements, revealing a series of quantum well states with parabolic dispersion. The particle-in-a-box states in Pd chains show higher onset energy and larger effective mass than those in Au chains investigated before, reflecting the influence of elemental composition on one-dimensional electronic systems. The intrinsic widths and spectral intensities of Pd induced states provide information on lifetime and spatial localization of states in the atomic chain.

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Electronic properties of artificial Au chains with individual Pd impurities.

Artificial Au atomic chains with individual Pd impurities were assembled from single metal atoms with a scanning tunneling microscope on a NiAl(110) surface. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) revealed an electronic resonance 2.15 eV above the Fermi energy localized within 4 A of single Pd atom impurities and two electronic resonances 2.25 eV and 2.95 eV above the Fermi energy localized within 8 A of Pd dimer impurities. The emergence of these localized resonances was studied by STS at each stage of the atom-by-atom assembly. Additionally, conductance images of the chains revealed delocalized electronic density oscillations in the pure Au segments of the chains.

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Distance dependence of the interaction between single atoms: gold dimers on NiAl(110).

The importance of substrate-mediated adsorbate-adsorbate interactions on electronic states has been demonstrated for Au dimers on NiAl(110) with a scanning tunneling microscope and density functional calculations. An unoccupied resonance observed in single Au atoms splits into a doublet in Au dimers. The energy splitting depends inversely on the distance between the two adatoms, revealing the relative importance of direct and substrate-mediated interactions. Spatially resolved conductance measurements of Au dimers reveal the symmetric and antisymmetric characters of the doublet states.

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Localized molecular constraint on electron delocalization in a metallic chain.

An artificial quantum structure consisting of a single CO molecule adsorbed on a Au chain was assembled by manipulating single Au atoms on NiAl(110) at 12 K with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The CO disrupts the delocalization of electron density waves in the chain, as it suppresses the coupling between neighboring chain atoms. The possibility to specify the CO position on the chain allows controlled modification of the electronic properties in a quantum system. Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy with the STM provides vibrational characterization of the adsorbed CO.

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Influence of a heterogeneous Al2O3 surface on the electronic properties of single Pd atoms.

Electronic properties of single Pd atoms, deposited on Al(2)O(3)/NiAl(110), have been characterized by scanning tunneling spectroscopy at 12 K. The spectra reveal distinct conductivity resonances, assigned to discrete electronic levels in the atom. The energy position of the resonances reflects adsorption properties of Pd atoms on different sites of the oxide support. Mapping the spatial extent of conductivity channels in the Pd atoms yields the symmetry of the underlying electronic states. The results demonstrate the effect of a heterogeneous oxide surface on the electronic structure of adsorbed metal atoms.

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Electronic density oscillations in gold atomic chains assembled atom by atom.

Linear Au chains two to 20 atoms long were constructed on a NiAl(110) surface via the manipulation of single atoms with a scanning tunneling microscope. Differential conductance (dI/dV) images of these chains reveal one-dimensional electronic density oscillations at energies 1.0 to 2.5 eV above the Fermi energy. The origin of this delocalized electronic structure is traced to the existence of an electronic resonance measured on single, isolated Au atoms. Variations in the wavelength in dI/dV images of an eleven-atom chain taken at different energies revealed an effective electronic mass of 0.4+/-0.1 times the mass of a free-electron.

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Development of one-dimensional band structure in artificial gold chains.

The ability of a scanning tunneling microscope to manipulate single atoms is used to build well-defined gold chains on NiAl(110). The electronic properties of the one-dimensional chains are dominated by an unoccupied electron band, gradually developing from a single atomic orbital present in a gold atom. Spatially resolved conductance measurements along a 20-atom chain provide the dispersion relation, effective mass, and density of states of the free electron-like band. These experiments demonstrate a strategy for probing the interrelation between geometric structure, elemental composition, and electronic properties in metallic nanostructures.

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